Yesterday I was on a cooking/baking frenzy.

But today it is back to work and then straight to the grocery store after work because I didn't do that little bit of wonderfulness on my days off. So tonight's dinner will probably be anything the guys can dream up on their own. Last night's dinner was Italian inspired cottage pie. It is comfort food at its finest. My darling husband ate two large bowls! I love soups, stew and savory type "pies" on cold and blustery days. This recipe fit the bill.

(the picture does not do it justice!)

Italian inspired Cottage Pie

Mashed potatoes

6 medium-ish russets
scrubbed, peeled, diced and boiled until fork tender, drain and place back in pan. Add 4 cloves minced garlic, about 4 T margarine and 1/2 cup almond milk (add more milk if too thick) Mash until light and fluffy. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Filling

1 to 2 T olive oil
2 lbs tempeh (diced)
2 large onions, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
4 carrots, thinly sliced
1 1/3 cups green beans (cut into 1" pieces)
4 or 5 cups cut up kale
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup burgundy ( I used malbec this time but whatever you use make sure it is a wine you would enjoy on its own. If it tastes bad in the glass it will taste bad in your recipe!)
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 T dried parsley
2 t dried basil
1 t dried thyme
1 t dried rosemary
salt and pepper to taste

A bit of parsley to sprinkle on top of pie before baking


Heat oven to 350f
Saute onions, garlic, and tempeh in olive oil over med high heat until onions start to get soft. Add a bit of water if things start to stick. Add carrots, green beans, kale and tomatoes (include juice) and continue to saute until all veggies are fork tender but not completely done (they will finish cooking in the oven). Add remaining ingredients, stirring well to blend and reduce heat and let simmer until completely heated through. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Place filling in a large oiled casserole dish. Spread mashed potatoes over filling, covering the entire top, right up to the edges. Sprinkle parsley on top of potatoes. Place in preheated oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

Like most cottage type foods this pie lends itself well to adaptation. Use whatever veggies you have in the fridge. Peas, spinach, corn, asparagus...whatever sounds good to you. A great way to use up what's in your veggie bin!

Vegan tested, omni approved. ; )

I am on a role!

Two posts in one day! I have a recipe for Triple Ginger Cookies which I have not posted yet, this recipe is for a Ginger Cookie that is a bit crisper and not quite as gingery but none the less delicious. I happen to love ginger so I am a little bias. I often give a basket or platter of baked goods as holiday gifts and ginger cookies are a perfect addition. They go together so quickly you will have a platter of delicious vegan cookies before you know it. Hot cup of tea anyone?




Ginger Cookies

2 1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 t baking soda
1 T ground ginger
1/4 t cinnamon
1/4 t salt
1 T flax meal mixed with 2 T warm water (set aside)
3/4 c oil
1/4 c molasses
1/4 c maple syrup

coarse sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 350

Place all dry ingredients (except coarse sugar) in large mixing bowl. Add all wet ingredients, including flax mixture, and mix until well blended. Make walnut size balls and roll in sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet about 3" apart. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes depending on whether you like your ginger cookies soft or crisp. I like to change things up a bit depending on my mood. The cookies in the picture were baked for 15 minutes. It is not as crisp as a gingersnap.

I got 28 cookies from this recipe.

Great recipe for your holiday feast

Mondays are one of my days off and today I am forgoing errands to clean and bake. I enjoy the latter so much more than the former, but the two tend to go hand and hand unfortunately. I have had this recipe in the back of my head for a while and finally decided to give it a try this morning. I use to make baked apples for my boys when they were young as an after school snack every fall and they were always gobbled up in record time. The fig sauce classes them up a bit and also adds a bit of elegance, perfect for a holiday dessert.




Baked Stuffed Apples with Caramel Fig Sauce

Baked Apples

6 medium Granny Smith (or other tart variety of apple)
1/4 c brown sugar
1 t cinnamon
1 T Earth Balance (or your favorite vegan margarine)
1/4 cups pecans (chopped)
1/4 cup raisins
6 pecan halves

Preheat oven to 375f

Wash and core apples leaving bottom intact so that filling does not leak out. Cut a small (1/8 in) bit off top to make apple flat (here is a good video if you don't know how to core an apple)

For filling mix all remaining ingredients (except pecan halves.) Spoon filling carefully into apples placing a pecan half on top. Place in a 8" or 9" baking pan, pour a bit of boiling water in the bottom of the pan and bake for 30 to 45 minutes depending on the size of the apples. To test for doneness a wooden pick should be able to pierce the apple easily with just a little resistance. Overcooking will lead to the fruit losing its shape and becoming mushy.

Caramel Fig Sauce

6 to 8 figs (Dried or fresh may be used. 6 for fresh, 8 for dried)
2 T Earth Balance
1/2 brown sugar
1/2 soy creamer or very rich non-dairy milk
1/4 t cinnamon

Chop figs very well and mush a bit with the back of a spoon. Place all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over med-hi heat stirring constantly. Reduce heat to a simmer and stir constantly until the figs break down and sauce is thick, dark and caramelly -yes, that is a word ; ) about 3 or 4 minutes. Serve over baked apples, ice cream or anything else you so desire!

I love October!

October is magnificent! The smell in the air, the foods, the cozy clothes...just about everything about October is wonderful to me. This morning I woke up with the desire to bake muffins...my co-workers will be happy about this desire. ; ) The smell of something baking along with coffee brewing is so much more wonderful in the fall. Happy October 22nd!




Banana Coconut Chocolate Chip Muffins (1 dozen muffins)

2 c flour
1 c sugar
2/3 c unsweetened coconut
2/3 c chocolate chips
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
3 smallish very ripe bananas (mushed up with a fork)
1/3 c oil
2 T almond milk
1 t vanilla


Preheat oven to 350. Put paper liners in muffin pan.

Combine dry ingredients in medium size bowl. Combine wet ingredients in smallish bowl. Add wet to dry and mix till combined. Fill liners evenly and bake for 25 minutes. Delish!

Just Say No to GMO!

This is awesome! Please watch and share ...what a great way to spread the word.

What a day....

On my days off I set out with 100 good intentions and a million things to do...always. Then I get caught up and side tracked and my good intentions get forgotten and I only get to a very small fraction of the million things to do. I usually feel unsastisfied by the end of the day...like I have done very little and wasted valuble time doing things that weren't important. So I try to take to heart the words of the late, great John Lennon - Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted. Read it, believe it, live it. Onward and upward, lol. What I did accomplish this weekend was cooking so I will share a bit here. Anna M had posted a picture of the most gorgeous black bean salad on her facebook page that cause me to instantaneously begin drooling. I wanted that salad. So when I got home from work on Saturday night I ran up to the store and bought what I believed to be the necessary ingredients. The resulting salad was nothing short of wonderful. I ate it for dinner on Saturday and then lunch and dinner on Sunday. I seriously love this salad.




Anna's Black Bean Salad (an interpretation)

2 cans black beans (rinsed) or about 4 cups
3 med tomatoes, chopped
1/2 med red onion, thinly sliced
1 red, orange or yellow pepper, chopped
1 1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn
1 avocado, chopped
handful of cilantro, chopped

Tortilla chips

Dressing

juice from one fresh lime (medium sized)
1 T olive oil
1 t agave
1 T rice wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste


Place first seven ingredients in a bowl. In small bowl combine the dressing ingredients. Taste and adjust to personal preference. Pour dressing over salad and toss gently. Serve piled over a handful of tortilla chips and topped with a dollop of sour cream.


Sour Cream

1 lb tofu *
1 T olive oil
2 t rice wine vinegar
1 t apple cider vinegar
juice from 1/2 medium size lemon, about 1 1/2 T
1 t agave
salt to taste

Place all ingredients in food processor and process until completely smooth and creamy. Taste and add salt to your own preference, process briefly to incorporate salt or any other adjustments you may have made. This recipe taste better if allowed to set in the fridge for a while but can be used right away as well. If refrigerated, stir well before serving because it tends to separate.

* I use extra firm tofu. It holds up well without become too soft and watery.

It is a very rainy, blustery fall day in Maine.

I love soup, stew, chili and chowder on days like this. Most of the time they are easy peasy, and if they required longer cooking times they pretty much do it on their own with only an occasional stir and taste to check for seasoning perfection. You can even do them in the crock-pot which in my opinion is an invention that should recieve far more praise than it does. Love it! Last night I made a pot of chili that went together very quickly and tasted wonderful. This recipe makes a large pot of chili.


Chili with Quinoa and Pumpkin

1 T oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
6 lg cloves garlic, minced
2 cups of your favorite ground beef substitute ( I used Gimme Lean ground beef style)*
2 1/2 T cumin
2 1/2 T chili powder
2 1/2 T oregano
2 T paprika
2 t basil
1 t crushed red pepper flakes (or as much as you like)
1/2 to 1 t cayenne pepper ( if you love it hot, double or triple it! * yikes*)
2 t cocoa powder
2 cups rich tasting veggie broth (could use water)
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
5 cups kidney beans
1 cups corn
1 14 oz can pumpkin
1/2 cup quinoa

Saute onions, peppers and garlic and ground beef sub in oil until veggies are soft and ground beef sub is browned. (if things start to stick add a bit of water)
Add spices and saute for another minute. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil on med heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer with lid for about 30 minutes. The longer in simmers the richer it will taste.

* I used the gimme lean meat sub this time because I had some in the fridge but generally I use bulgur wheat for the texture of ground beef in my chili. 1 cup raw bulgur wheat combined with 1 cup boiling water or tomato juice. Let stand for about 15 minutes before adding to chili. Do not try and brown bulgur wheat.

Chili is very versatile. Add any veggies that call to you. I've added chopped carrots and celery many times, just saute with the other veggies. Also greens are great in chili. You get the added nutrients and for picky eaters you don't really tasted them in the chili. Use your imagination and go wild.

An old favorite...veganized!

After getting home from work last night and realizing I didn't have a clue what I was going to make for dinner, I ventured over to vegweb to become inspired. I was looking at a tried and true quinoa recipe for burritos/enchiladas that I have made several times and and love but decided I just didn't have the gumption for it. I still wanted something with quinoa though. So I decided that I would try making sloppy joes with quinoa. This recipe is an adaptation of one I found in an old magazine for traditional meat sloppy joes. It was a success! It was quick and very easy, two selling points for a work night dinner. If you make it let me know what you think.



Quinoa Sloppy Tams (aka sloppy joes)

1 1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
3 cups water

1 T oil
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
3 lg cloves garlic, minced
1 6 oz can tomato paste
2 T chili powder
1 t paprika
1 t dry mustard
1/4 t powdered ginger
1/2 t salt
2 t better than bullion vegetable broth paste mixed with 1 2/3 cup water
1/3 c ketchup
1/4 cup vegan worcestershire sauce
hamburger rolls

Place quinoa and 3 cups water in small pan and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Let simmer for 12 minutes.

Saute veggies in oil until tender. Add tomato paste and saute until it is well combined and softer(stirring constantly) about 4 minutes. Add spices and saute an additional minute.

Add the broth, ketchup, worcestershire sauce and quinoa. Stir letting the mixture come to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for about five minutes. Serve over hamburger rolls.

Autumn is here...

Hopefully I will get on the ball and start posting more. I am not the most disciplined person that you will ever meet. : ( We had a glorious summer here in Maine. It was hot, hot, hot! Maine is known as vacationland and people that were here visiting from Florida would comment that they came to Maine to get away from that kind of heat. I loved every minute of it! I worked a lot and didn't get nearly as much sun as I would have wished. And now wonderful, glorious fall is here. I absolutely adore it. I love the foods, the smells, and even the clothing. In my world, Fall rocks! I hope to be posting some wonderful fall recipes within the next couple of weeks...perfect for the holidays. I will give you a hint. One of them is pumpkin pie whoopie pies! Seriously, who doesn't love them? Also baked apples with a caramel fig sauce. I bet you can't wait. ; )

But for now I have one for Kung Pao Tofu. Not really a fall recipe just a quick and easy go to recipe. : )




Kung Pao Tofu.

1 1/2 cups brown rice (short grain)
3 cups water

4 1/2 T tamari
3 lg cloves garlic, minced
1 heaping T ginger, minced
2 t rice syrup (or sweetener of your choice)
2 t arrowroot
1 t crush red pepper flakes
3/4 cup water

1 lb tofu cut into 1/2 in cubes
1 T oil
2 onions, cut into thin strips
2 peppers, cut into thin strips
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced, on an angle
1/2 cup unsalted, roasted peanuts

Bring 3 cups water and brown rice to a bowl in a med pot, cover and reduced heat and let simmer for 50 minutes.

Combine next 7 ingredients in a smallish bowl to make marinade. Set aside. Pour 1/4 cup of marinade over tofu cubes and mix gently. Set aside for 30 minutes or so for tofu to absorb the flavors. Slice the vegetables while tofu is marinading.

Once marinated, place tofu cubes in heated fry pan with the 1 T oil. Saute until it starts to become golden. Remove tofu from pan and add vegetables. Saute until tender crisp, adding water if the vegetables start to stick. Once the vegetables are done add the tofu back to the pan. Then add remaining marinade. Stir gently as the mixtures heats and becomes thicker. Sprinkle with peanuts and serve over brown rice. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family did. It serves 4.